Seoul's Defence Minister Kim Kwan-jin (L) shakes hands with with soldiers during his visit to a military base near the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas in Paju, north of Seoul, Dec 5, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

PYONGYANG - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sunday urged South Korea to "stop acting rashly and ponder over the catastrophic consequences."

The warning was sent in a statement which the official KCNA news agency was authorized to release.

The KCNA reported that following the exchange of artillery fire between the DPRK and South Korea on November 23 and last week's US-South Korean naval drills, Seoul is planning large-scale combined naval maneuvers with the US Seventh Fleet. Moreover, South Korea will stage firing exercises at 29 places including Taechong Island, one of the five islands very close to the DPRK territory, the KCNA said.

All the South Korean moves are aiming at making military provocations against the DPRK and implementing its so-called "retaliatory plan," the statement said.

The provocations are rapidly driving the situation on the Korean Peninsula to "an uncontrollable extreme phase," and no one can predict to what extent the situation will deteriorate in the future, it warned.

The DPRK is now maintaining "maximum self-possession and self-control," the statement said. But if an all-out war breaks out between the two sides, it will seriously affect peace and security not only on the Korean Peninsula, but also in the rest of the region, it said.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been heightened since November 23, when the DPRK and South Korea exchanged artillery fire, which killed four South Koreans.